Content filtering alone inadequate for illegal file sharing.

In light of recent research report, Safemedia reminds IT security professionals of the need for protection of file sharing across contaminated peer to peer networks which isn't catered for with standard web filtering software.

"A report in The Register this week should be a wakeup call to media companies, ISPs and Universities," said SafeMedia Corporation CEO & Founder Safwat Fahmy. 'The number of file-sharers disguising their BitTorrent activity with encryption is skyrocketing, and rising 10-fold in the last year, from four to 40 per cent according to the report. 'Content filtering and packet shaping solutions are not long term viable solutions to eliminate illegal file sharing and identity theft associated with contaminated P2P networks.' (Contaminated P2P networks are known to contain illegal copyrighted files, classified business information, national security data and personal identification documents).

'SafeMedia has the only products available today that can end illegal file sharing and the threat to personal, corporate, and national security associated with inadvertent file sharing on encrypted or non encrypted contaminated P2P or Bit Torrent networks,' explained Fahmy. 'SafeMedia's P2P Disaggregator technology (P2PD) was developed and designed to identify and stop encrypted contaminated P2P. Our decentralised deployment insures that network speed and backbone security is never compromised,' he said. SafeMedia technology has been proven to stop contaminated P2P networks without invading user privacy or impacting normal Internet traffic, Fahmy noted.

'The recording industry is winning court battles against illegal music downloading, said Fahmy. 'I think this trend of encryption is absolutely a warning to music industry executives, who believe they can win this war against Illegal file sharing using conventional thinking and content recognition solutions,' said Robert Foote, CTO of SafeMedia.

Foote contends that encrypted P2P requires a paradigm shift in thinking and technology. 'P2PD is the new approach in the fight against contaminated P2P including contaminated Bit Torrent networks. SafeMedia has the only solution that was designed to stop encrypted contaminated networks, protecting user privacy, without requiring deep packet or content inspection, without measurable network latency and without time consuming and expensive acoustical finger printing, explained Foote.

'The trend towards encryption means current efforts by music publishers and government to cut a deal with ISPs to create a monitoring system to boot persistent copyright infringers off the internet, which we revealed last month, is likely to be rendered pointless, said writer Chris Williams of The Register.'

'So-called content filtering software from Audible Magic cannot peer inside encrypted packets, either', said Neil Armstrong, products director at BT-owned ISP Plus Net. The rapid acceleration in encryption isn't limited to Bit Torrent users. Estimates say torrent traffic accounts for about between 50 and 60 per cent of all file-sharing. Usenet, which the RIAA recently said is a bigger offender than Kazaa-type services, accounts for about another 25 percent. It's set to see more scrambled files shared over it, too, as providers including Giga News now offers SSL encryption.

In two years 95 percent of all contaminated BIT Torrent and P2P networks will be encrypted. SafeMedia's P2PD was developed and designed to identify and stop encrypted contaminated P2P and contaminated BIT Torrent networks. 'Our decentralised deployment insures that network speed and backbone security is never compromised, we have the only cost effective solution that can eliminate file sharing and identity theft on encrypted contaminated P2P and contaminated Bit Torrent networks,' said Fahmy.